Gulf Coast Racing Roundup: Modifieds to stretch out at Mobile International on Saturday

The modifieds drive into the spotlight on Saturday night at Mobile International Speedway on Saturday night, competing in their longest race of the season - a 40-lap feature worth $1,200 to the winner.

The modifieds have raced three times at MIS this season, with Okie Mason of Kushla, Donald Crocker of Citronelle and Donnie Hamrac of Semmes earning victories. But Mason owns a sizable 97-point advantage at the top of the season standings.

Mobile International also will have pro trucks, super stocks, sportsmen and bombers racing on Saturday night.

In the bombers, B.J. Leytham of Mobile will try to win for the eighth time in eight races at the track. He moonlighted last week at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola and won the bomber feature there, too.

Obviously, Leytham leads the MIS bomber standings. Mason also leads the pro truck standings, by 19 points over Jay Jay Day of Theodore. Bobby Baria of Grand Bay in super stocks and Brannon Fowler of Molino in sportsmen lead their divisions. Fowler has a 15-point advantage over second-place Lee "Red Dog" Reynolds of Theodore.

At Mobile International on Saturday, practice begins at 4 p.m. and qualifying starts at 6. The green flag drops at 7. Admission will cost $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, students and military; and $5 for children 6 to 11. Children 5 and younger will be admitted free.

MIS also has made a schedule change, dropping its July 5 race card to give its pro late model drivers a chance to race in a 100-lap event at South Alabama Speedway. The pro late models will join the MIS lineup on Aug. 9, taking the place of the scheduled modified race on that date so the local modified drivers can challenge for the $1,200 winner's prize in a special race at Montgomery Motor Speedway that night. The super stock race scheduled for July 5 with join MIS' July 26 program.

SUNNY SOUTH RACEWAY

The Grand Bay oval will offer double points and double winnings to its racers and a visit from the Southern Vintage Racing Association to its fans on Friday night. In addition to the vintage cars, the Mighty Mite, junior 1 champ, bandolero, pro challenge, mini-stock, senior pro clone and legend divisions will race.

Hunter Lewis has won six straight legends features at SSR. Tatum Wilson in senior pro clone and Landon Adams in junior 1 champ have three-race winning streaks. Bryce Dulabhan has posted back-to-back victories in the pro challenge division.

Jamie Mozingo had a three-point lead over Ben Spears at the top of the Southern Vintage Racing Association standings.

On Friday, the gates open at 5 p.m., practice cranks up at 6, qualifying starts at 7:30 and racing begins at 8.

Admission costs $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and military. Youngsters 12 and younger are admitted free with an adult.

FIVE FLAGS SPEEDWAY

On Friday night, Five Flags looked sort of like Mobile International Speedway East with Dave Mader III of Irvington winning the super stock feature and B.J. Leytham of Mobile showing he's not planning to lose anywhere this year in the bomber event. Rounding back into form, Steve Buttrick of Cantonment won for the second time in the past three sportsmen events at Five Flags. The three events were the local portion of a race card that included the Pensacola 150, a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race.

In the track standings, Todd Jones of Pace holds a 10-point advantage over Randy Thompson of Cantonment in super stocks, Brannon Fowler of Molino is 42 points up on second-place Shanna Ard of Milton in sportsmen and Robert Balkum of Pensacola leads the bomber class by 21 points over Michael Nelson of Pensacola.

Five Flags gets back on track on June 27 with modifieds, pro trucks, sportsmen and bombers race on the night of the annual kids' bike races.

NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES EAST

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Series moves to Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va., for the Hampton 175 on Saturday after racing at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola on Friday night. Ben Rhodes will be seeking his fifth victory in six races after winning in Pensacola 150.

Unlike the first K&N race at Five Flags in 2013, Friday night's event had plenty of action and several passes for the lead. Last year, Ben Kennedy led from start to finish on his way to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season.

With 345 points, Rhodes, a 17-year-old driver from Louisville, Ky., widened his lead in the season standings to 55 over second-place Gray Gaulding, a 16-year-old from Colonial Heights, Va.

SOUTH EASTERN CRATE SERIES

The late model, dirt track series makes up a rainout from earlier in its first season by hitting the track at Flomaton Speedway on Saturday night. The late models will join mini-sprints, street stocks, pure stocks and tuners on the race card.

Ryan Crane moved into the series lead in the SECS' previous race. He has 16 points on the season. Second-place Cody Smith, who owns three victories, has 19. However, those point totals don't reflect the situation accurately, since drivers will be allowed to discard their two worst finishes at the end of the season.

On Saturday, the gates open at 4 p.m. and racing starts at 8. Admission costs $10 for those 13 and older and $5 for those 6 through 12. Children 5 and younger will be admitted free.

SOUTHERN SUPER SERIES

Montgomery Motor Speedway will host the Southern Super Series' eighth race of the season on June 28. With four victories this season, Bubba Pollard of Senoia, Ga., will carry a 15-point lead into the capital city. Anderson Bowen of Suwanee, Ga., holds second with six top-10 finishes in seven races. Augie Grill of Hayden is 26 points back of Pollard in third, and 2013 series champ Daniel Hemric of Mooresville, N.C., has risen to fourth, 62 points back. Donnie Wilson of Oklahoma City has two victories, but is fifth and 65 points behind Pollard because he missed the opening race of the season.

While waiting for the SSS to resume, Hemric overtook Pollard on Saturday night to win the $10,000 prize in the Redbud 300 at Anderson Speedway in Anderson, Ind., an ARCA/CRA Super Series event.

The Southern Super Series will return for Gulf Coast doubleheaders at Five Flags and Mobile International July 25-26 and Sept. 19-20.

ARCA RACING SERIES

For the first time this season, Grant Enfinger of Fairhope is not the points leader in the ARCA racing series. By finishing second while Enfinger finished eighth in the Corigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, Mason Mitchell overtook Enfinger at the top of the standings. Mitchell has 1,995 points and Enfinger has 1,965. Ten-time series champ Frank Kimmel is in third place with 1,840 points.

Enfinger has won three of the eight races this season. Mitchell has finished in the top 10 in every race - the top five in five - and has a streak of 17 top-10 finishes dating from last season.

Thomas "Moose" Praytor of Mobile is in ninth place in the season standings after finishing 14th at Michigan.

The ARCA circuit visits Elko Speedway in Minnesota for the Akona 250 at 8 p.m. Saturday. The race will be televised by the CBS Sports Network.

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Mobile native Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. captured the second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory of his career by taking the checkered flag in the Drivin' for Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park on Saturday night.

Driving the No. 54 ToyotaCare Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports, Wallace took the lead from German Quiroga on a door-banging restart with three laps to go. Wallace, 20, beat Quiroga to the checkered flag by 0.329 seconds at the 1.25-mile track in Madison, Ill.

Wallace led 85 laps, the most in the 160-lap race.

John Hunter Nemechek, who has been racing regularly with the Southern Super Series on its visits to Mobile International Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, led 53 laps, but finished 15th. Gray Gaulding, who raced at Five Flags on Friday night in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Pensacola 150, finished 20th in the truck race.

Wallace is ninth in the standings for the truck circuit, which returns to the track on June 26 for the UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway.